Hybrid cooling system for a multi-component electronics system

Abstract

A hybrid cooling system and method of fabrication are provided for a multi-component electronics system. The cooling system includes an air moving device for establishing air flow across at least one primary and at least one secondary heat generating component to be cooled; and a liquid-based cooling subsystem including at least one cold plate, physically coupled to the at least one primary heat generating component, and a thermally conductive coolant-carrying tube in fluid communication with the at least one cold plate. A thermally conductive auxiliary structure is coupled to the coolant-carrying tube and includes a plurality of thermally conductive fins extending from a surface thereof. The plurality of thermally conductive fins are disposed at least partially over the at least one secondary heat generating component to be cooled, and provide supplemental cooling of at least a portion of the air flow established across the multiple components of the electronics system.

1. A hybrid cooling system for a multi-component electronics system, the hybrid cooling system comprising:
 an air moving device for establishing air flow across multiple components of an electronics system, the electronics system comprising at least one primary heat generating component to be cooled and at least one secondary heat generating component to be cooled; 
 a liquid-based cooling subsystem comprising at least one cold plate configured to couple to the at least one primary heat generating component to be cooled for liquid-based cooling thereof, the liquid-based cooling subsystem further comprising at least one thermally conductive coolant-carrying tube in fluid communication with the at least one cold plate for facilitating passage of liquid coolant through the at least one cold plate; and 
 a thermally conductive auxiliary structure coupled to the at least one thermally conductive coolant-carrying tube, the thermally conductive auxiliary structure including a plurality of thermally conductive fins extending from a surface thereof, wherein when the hybrid cooling system is employed to cool the multi-component electronics system, with the at least one cold plate coupled to the at least one primary heat generating component to be cooled, the plurality of thermally conductive fins of the thermally conductive auxiliary structure are disposed at least partially over the at least one secondary heat generating component to be cooled, and provide cooling of at least a portion of the air flow established across the multiple components of the electronics system to further facilitate cooling thereof. 
 
   
   
     2. The hybrid cooling system of  claim 1 , wherein the thermally conductive auxiliary structure comprises a thermally conductive plate and the electronics system comprises multiple secondary heat generating components to be cooled, and wherein at least some thermally conductive fins of the plurality of thermally conductive fins extend from a surface of the thermally conductive plate into air flow passageways defined between at least some secondary heat generating components of the multiple secondary heat generating components when the hybrid cooling system is employed to cool the multi-component electronics system, the at least some thermally conductive fins functioning to cool air flow passing between the at least some secondary heat generating components. 
   
   
     3. The hybrid cooling system of  claim 1 , wherein the multiple secondary heat generating components comprise a plurality of memory modules arrayed on a substrate, and wherein the at least some thermally conductive fins extend into air flow passageways defined between adjacent memory modules arrayed on the substrate for cooling air flow passing between the adjacent memory modules when the hybrid cooling system is employed to cool the multi-component electronics system. 
   
   
     4. The hybrid cooling system of  claim 1 , wherein the thermally conductive auxiliary structure comprises a thermally conductive plate configured to matably engage the at least one thermally conductive coolant-carrying tube, and wherein the hybrid cooling system further comprises a mounting plate for removably coupling the thermally conductive plate to the at least one thermally conductive coolant-carrying tube. 
   
   
     5. The hybrid cooling system of  claim 1 , wherein the electronics system comprises multiple secondary heat generating components to be cooled, and wherein the hybrid cooling system further comprises at least one air-cooled heat sink configured to couple to at least one secondary heat generating component of the multiple secondary heat generating components to be cooled, and wherein the at least one thermally conductive coolant-carrying tube of the liquid-based cooling subsystem is disposed to extend over the at least one air-cooled heat sink coupled to the at least one secondary heat generating component when the hybrid cooling system is employed to cool the multi-component electronics system. 
   
   
     6. The hybrid cooling system of  claim 5 , wherein the at least one thermally conductive coolant-carrying tube comprises an extended tube section which loops outward from the at least one cold plate to over at least one secondary heat generating component to be cooled when the hybrid cooling system is employed to cool the multi-component electronics system. 
   
   
     7. The hybrid cooling system of  claim 5 , wherein the at least one primary heat generating component to be cooled comprises at least one processor module, and the multiple secondary heat generating components to be cooled comprise multiple memory modules and multiple memory support modules arrayed on a substrate, at least some memory support modules of the multiple memory support modules being aligned in at least one row, with the multiple memory modules being arrayed on at least one side thereof, and wherein when the hybrid cooling system is employed to cool the multi-component electronics system, the at least one thermally conductive coolant-carrying tube extends over the at least one row of memory support modules for facilitating cooling of air flow across the at least one row of memory support modules. 
   
   
     8. The hybrid cooling system of  claim 5 , wherein the electronics system resides in an electronics drawer of an electronics rack, the electronics drawer comprising a substrate, and wherein the multiple secondary heat generating components comprise multiple dual in-line memory modules and multiple memory support modules, the multiple dual in-line memory modules being arrayed at a first end and at a second end of the electronics drawer, with the at least one primary heat generating component to be cooled being disposed between dual in-line memory module arrays at the first and second ends, each primary heat generating component to be cooled comprising a processor module, and wherein when the hybrid cooling system is employed to cool the multi-component electronics system, the at least one cold plate is coupled to the at least one processor module to be cooled, and wherein the multiple memory support modules are aligned in multiple rows between the multiple dual in-line memory modules disposed at the first and second ends of the electronics drawer, and the at least one thermally conductive coolant-carrying tube is aligned to extend over at least one row of the rows of multiple memory support modules, and the thermally conductive auxiliary structure is coupled to the at least one thermally conductive coolant-carrying tube over the at least one row of memory support modules and extends outward therefrom over at least some of the multiple dual in-line memory modules, the plurality of thermally conductive fins extending from the surface of the thermally conductive auxiliary structure into air passageways defined between adjacent dual in-line memory modules arrayed on the substrate in part for cooling air flow passing between adjacent dual in-line memory modules. 
   
   
     9. The hybrid cooling system of  claim 1 , further comprising at least one air-cooled heat sink configured to couple to the at least one secondary heat generating component to be cooled, the at least one air-cooled heat sink comprising a plurality of thermally conductive fins extending therefrom, and wherein when the hybrid cooling system is employed to cool the multi-component electronics system, at least some thermally conductive fins of the plurality of thermally conductive fins extending from the surface of the thermally conductive auxiliary structure interdigitate in spaced, opposing relation with the plurality of thermally conductive fins extending from the at least one air-cooled heat sink coupled to the at least one secondary heat generating component to be cooled. 
   
   
     10. The hybrid cooling system of  claim 9 , wherein when the hybrid cooling system is employed to cool the multi-component electronics system, the at least one thermally conductive coolant-carrying tube is disposed over the at least one air-cooled heat sink coupled to the at least one secondary heat generating component to be cooled, and wherein the thermally conductive auxiliary structure comprises a block-shaped structure surrounding the at least one thermally conductive coolant-carrying tube, and aligned over and spaced from the at least one air-cooled heat sink coupled to the at least one secondary heat generating component to be cooled. 
   
   
     11. The hybrid cooling system of  claim 10 , wherein the liquid-based cooling subsystem further comprises multiple thermally conductive coolant-carrying tubes, the multiple thermally conductive coolant-carrying tubes comprising a thermally conductive coolant supply tube and a thermally conductive coolant return tube, and wherein the hybrid cooling system further comprises multiple thermally conductive auxiliary structures, each thermally conductive auxiliary structure being configured to couple to a respective thermally conductive coolant-carrying tube of the liquid-based cooling subsystem, and each thermally conductive auxiliary structure comprising a block-shaped structure aligned over and spaced from the at least one air-cooled heat sink coupled to the at least one secondary heat generating component to be cooled, and wherein thermally conductive auxiliary structures surrounding the thermally conductive coolant supply tube and the thermally conductive coolant return tube are spaced apart to prevent thermal conduction therebetween. 
   
   
     12. A cooled electronics system comprising:
 at least one electronics drawer containing multiple components, the at least one electronics drawer comprising at least one primary heat generating component to be cooled and at least one secondary heat generating component to be cooled; and 
 a hybrid cooling system for cooling the multiple components of the at least one electronics drawer, the hybrid cooling system comprising:
 an air moving device for establishing air flow across the multiple components of the at least one electronics drawer; 
 a liquid-based cooling subsystem comprising at least one cold plate coupled to the at least one primary heat generating component to be cooled for liquid-based cooling thereof, the liquid-based cooling subsystem further comprising at least one thermally conductive coolant-carrying tube in fluid communication with the at least one cold plate for facilitating passage of liquid coolant therethrough; and 
 a thermally conductive auxiliary structure coupled to the at least one thermally conductive coolant-carrying tube, the thermally conductive auxiliary structure including a plurality of thermally conductive fins extending from a surface thereof, the plurality of thermally conductive fins of the thermally conductive auxiliary structure being disposed at least partially over the at least one secondary heat generating component to be cooled, and providing cooling of at least a portion of the air flow established across the multiple components of the at least one electronics drawer to further facilitate cooling thereof. 
 
 
   
   
     13. The cooled electronics system of  claim 12 , wherein the thermally conductive auxiliary structure comprises a thermally conductive plate and the multiple components comprise multiple secondary heat generating components to be cooled, and wherein at least some thermally conductive fins of the plurality of thermally conductive fins extend from a surface of the thermally conductive plate into air flow passageways defined between at least some secondary heat generating components of the multiple secondary heat generating components to cool air flow passing between the at least some secondary heat generating components. 
   
   
     14. The cooled electronics system of  claim 13 , wherein the multiple secondary heat generating components comprise a plurality of memory modules arrayed on a substrate, and wherein the at least some thermally conductive fins of the plurality of thermally conductive fins extend into air flow passageways defined between adjacent memory modules arrayed on the substrate for cooling air flow passing between the adjacent memory modules. 
   
   
     15. The cooled electronics system of  claim 12 , wherein the thermally conductive auxiliary structure comprises a thermally conductive plate matably engaged with the at least one thermally conductive coolant-carrying tube, the hybrid cooling system further comprising a mounting plate removably coupling the thermally conductive plate to the at least one thermally conductive coolant-carrying tube. 
   
   
     16. The cooled electronics system of  claim 12 , wherein the electronics system comprises multiple secondary heat generating components to be cooled, and wherein the hybrid cooling system further comprises at least one air-cooled heat sink coupled to at least one secondary heat generating component of the multiple secondary heat generating components, and wherein the at least one thermally conductive coolant-carrying tube of the liquid-based cooling subsystem extends over the at least one air-cooled heat sink coupled to the at least one secondary heat generating component. 
   
   
     17. The cooled electronics system of  claim 16 , wherein the at least one primary heat generating component to be cooled comprises at least one processor module, and the multiple secondary heat generating components to be cooled comprise multiple memory modules and multiple memory support modules arrayed on a substrate, at least some memory support modules of the multiple memory support modules being aligned in at least one row, with the multiple memory modules being arrayed on at least one side thereof, the at least one thermally conductive coolant-carrying tube extending over the at least one row of memory support modules for facilitating cooling of air flow across the at least one row of memory support modules. 
   
   
     18. The cooled electronics system of  claim 12 , further comprising at least one air-cooled heat sink coupled to the at least one secondary heat generating component to be cooled, the at least one air-cooled heat sink comprising a plurality of thermally conductive fins extending therefrom, and wherein at least some thermally conductive fins of the plurality of thermally conductive fins extending from the surface of the thermally conductive auxiliary structure interdigitate in spaced, opposing relation with the plurality of thermally conductive fins extending from the at least one air-cooled heat sink coupled to the at least one secondary heat generating component to be cooled. 
   
   
     19. The cooled electronics system of  claim 18 , wherein the at least one thermally conductive coolant-carrying tube extends over the at least one air-cooled heat sink coupled to the at least one secondary heat generating component to be cooled, and wherein the thermally conductive auxiliary structure comprises a block-shaped structure surrounding the at least one thermally conductive coolant-carrying tube, and aligned over and spaced from the at least one air-cooled heat sink coupled to the at least one secondary heat generating component to be cooled.